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The Role of Technology in Learning in the 21st Century

Computing is increasingly harnessed to address pressing educational challenges of the 21st century: under-performing inner-city schools, integrating immigrants into the school system, irregular school attendance in rural developing regions, and women empowerment in the developing world. This course is open to all undergrads and grad students, with technical or non-technical backgrounds. We will cover theory and practical applications of the Learning Sciences, Educational Technology and Human-Computer Interaction, framed around authentic problems such as the above. Students will apply concepts from the course to examine existing solutions such as Sesame Street’s The Electric Company, Leapfrog’s literacy gadgets and the $100 laptop. Students will work in teams on semester-length design projects to tackle educational problems of their choice, on platforms such as cellphones, interactive videos or gaming (Nintendo’s Wii/DS/$10 TV-Computer). Confirmed guest speakers include the World Bank’s Education Sector and Microsoft’s Global Learning Group.